24 January 2013 [MALTA COMMAND (1939)]

Malta Command (1)

The Malta Infantry Brigade (2)

2nd Bn. The Devonshire Regiment

1st Bn. The Dorsetshire Regiment
2nd Bn. The Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victorias)
2nd Bn. The Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment

1st Bn. The Kings Own Malta Regiment

Artillery

26th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery

(H.Q., 15th, 40th, 48th & 71st Anti-Tank Batteries, Royal Artillery)
4th Heavy Regiment, Royal Artillery (3)
(H.Q., 6th, 10th & 23rd Heavy Batteries, Royal Artillery)
7th Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (4)
(H.Q., 10 & 13 Anti-Aircraft Batteries, Royal Artillery and 5th & 6th Anti-Aircraft
th th

Batteries, Royal Malta Artillery and 7th Searchlight Battery, Royal Malta Artillery)
Headquarters, Royal Malta Artillery
(1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th Heavy Batteries, Royal Malta Artillery)

Engineers

16th Fortress Company, Royal Engineers

24th Fortress Company, Royal Engineers

Royal Corps of Signals

The Malta Signal Company, Royal Corps of Signals

Royal Army Service Corps

32nd Company, Royal Army Service Corps

Royal Army Medical Corps

30th Company, Royal Army Medical Corps

Royal Army Pay Corps

Malta Detachment, Royal Army Pay Corps

www.BritishMilitaryHistory.co.uk Page 1
 24 January 2013 [MALTA COMMAND (1939)]

NOTES:

1. Malta Command was an independent, static command of the British Army. It was
responsible for the defence of the island of Malta, which was an important base for the
Royal Navy in the central Mediterranean Sea.
2. This brigade commanded all the infantry units deployed on the island. It was the
original Regular Army formation that was based on the island. It was known pre-war
as the Malta Infantry Brigade. On the 7th August 1940, with the creation of a second
infantry brigade on the island, this brigade became known as the Southern Infantry
Brigade. On the 14th July 1942, the brigade was again redesignated, this time as the
1st (Malta) Infantry Brigade. Finally, on the 1st April 1943, it was redesignated as the
231st Infantry Brigade. Under this title, it left the island on the 30th March 1943 to
move to Egypt, as the need to retain three Regular Army units on Malta became a
luxury. It landed in Sicily on the 10th July 1943 under command of the 51st Infantry
Division, later serving with the 78th Infantry Division and 50th Infantry Division in Sicily.
It then crossed the Straits of Messina to land in Italy on the 8th September 1943 under
command of the 5th Infantry Division. It left Italy on the 23rd September 1943 to
return to the United Kingdom with the 50th Infantry Division, with which it served in
Normandy, having been one of the assault formations on D-Day. The 50th Infantry
Division was withdrawn from North West Europe on the 14th December 1944 to return
to the United Kingdom, where it was downgraded to a reserve division. This brigade
remained with the 50th Infantry Division until August 1945, when it transferred to the
Northumbrian District. It was disbanded late in 1945.
3. The 4th Heavy Regiment was based at Tigne.
4. This was a Regular Army anti-aircraft regiment of the Royal Artillery. It comprised two
batteries of the Royal Artillery, and two anti-aircraft batteries of the Royal Malta
Artillery (R.M.A.). A new searchlight battery of the Royal Malta Artillery was formed on
the 5th September 1939. The 5th A.A. Battery of the R.M.A. was stationed at Delimara,
with the 6th and new 7th Batteries being station at Mtarfu.
5. The Headquarters, Royal Malta Artillery was based at Fort St. Elmo in Valetta (this is
now an excellent military museum).

SOURCES:

www.BritishMilitaryHistory.co.uk Page 2